McNamara’s Going May Harden Line

Press, Volume CVII, Issue 31540, 30 November 1967, Page 15

McNamara’s Going May Harden Line

(N.Z. Press Association—Copyright)

WASHINGTON, November 29.

Robert S. McNamara’s impending departure from the Defence Department is likely to bring a hardening of the Vietnam war effort, according to informed Congressional sources.

Although job fatigue played a part in Mr McNamara’s expected transfer to the World Bank after nearly seven years in the Cabinet, the clear indications were that the “hawks” among President Johnson’s advisers had won out, an Associated Press report said.

An official in touch with the situation said that in recent months Mr Johnson had been leaning more heavily for Vietnam policy on Mr Walt W. Rostow than on Mr McNamara or any other adviser.

Johnson’s special assistant for national security matters, is generally regarded as a “hawk” on the war. The World Bank’s executive directors are expected to approve Mr McNamara as the bank's new president at a meeting in Washington today. Bank Confirmation A bank spokesman confirmed last night that Mr McNamara had been nominated to the post. But he would not say whether today’s informal meeting would consider the matter. President Johnson has remained silent about the resignation of his defence chief and the official White House line was “No comment.” But Mr Johnson may be forced to make some statement soon, possibly on the timing of Mr McNamara’s move.

Mr Rostow, who is President Johnson’s special assistant for national security matters, is generally regarded as a “hawk” on the war.

A widely-held view was that Mr McNamara would take up his new post in a matter of a few months because his

authority at the Pentagon might be weakened by news of the change. One forecast by diplomatic observers was that his resignation would strengthen the hard line of the joint Chiefs of Staff since Mr McNamara opposed their ' publiclyexpressed calls for the closure of North Vietnam’s major port of Haiphong and other moves which would escalate the war. ‘No Change’ However, the White House press secretary, Mr George Christian, said yesterday he knew of no change in the Administration’s Vietnam policy for any reason. Washington’s favourite guessing game was speculating about Mr McNamara’s sucessor as Defence Secretary. The Texas Governor, Mr John Connally, a former Navy Secretary, was mentioned, but he said publicly there was no truth in rumours that he would be appointed. Others figuring in the speculation included the Deputy Defence Secretary, Mr Paul H. Nitze, the former Deputy Secretary, Mr Cyrus Vance, now on a Cyprus peace mission, the Air Force Secretary, Mr Harold Brown; and a former Treasury Secretary, Mr Robert Anderson.

The Republican leader. Senator Everett Dirksen, of Illinois, told a news confer-

ence that he did not think it would make much difference in the prosecution of the war whoever was named, since the President himself made the final decisions. Mr Dirksen said that if any Republican were chosen, he expected it would be a qualified man who would carry out his duties without any impact on the political situation. Mr Djrksen suggested that Mr McNamara was moving on because his wife was unhappy and because he was unhappy. He said that as a frequent White House visitor he had never detected any Presidential disillusionment with Mr McNamara, nor had the Secretary ever indicated he had lost favour. Mansfield’s Hopes The Senate Democratic leader, Mr Mike Mansfield, of Montana, said that Mr McNamara had been a restraining influence in the Cabinet so far as the war was concerned.

He added: “I only hope the successor will be somewhere near as strong as he has been and that he will continue to exercise strict civilian control.”